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MELIORATION AND MAXIMIZATION OF REINFORCEMENT MINUS COSTS OF BEHAVIOR
Author(s) -
Boelens Harrie
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of the experimental analysis of behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.75
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1938-3711
pISSN - 0022-5002
DOI - 10.1901/jeab.1984.42-113
Subject(s) - matching law , reinforcement , schedule , duration (music) , variable (mathematics) , interval (graph theory) , maximization , statistics , matching (statistics) , psychology , mathematics , computer science , social psychology , combinatorics , art , mathematical analysis , literature , operating system
Eight pigeons were exposed to independent concurrent schedules. Concurrent variable‐interval 60‐second variable‐interval 60‐second schedules were presented to one group of four subjects. Following baseline training, a limited hold was added to one of the schedules and the duration of the hold was decreased in successive conditions. Concurrent variable‐interval 120‐second variable‐interval 40‐second schedules were presented to another group of four subjects. These subjects were first exposed to decreasing durations of a limited hold in the variable‐interval 40‐second component. After replication of the baseline, a limited hold in the variable‐interval 120‐second component was decreased in duration. The initial durations of the holds were determined from the subjects' responding in the baseline conditions. A duration was chosen such that approximately 25% of the scheduled reinforcers would be canceled if responding remained unchanged. Approximate matching of time proportions and reinforcement proportions was observed when the limited hold was added to the variable‐interval 60‐second schedule and when the limited hold was added to the variable‐interval 40‐second schedule. Time proportions were less extreme than reinforcement proportions when the limited hold operated in a variable‐interval 120‐second schedule. Overall reinforcement rates tended to decrease with continued training in concurrent schedules with a limited hold. Absolute deviations from time matching also decreased. The results provide evidence against the principle of reinforcement maximization, and support Herrnstein and Vaughan's (1980) melioration hypothesis.